Sunday, 9 November 2008

Whilst I was looking at Apple's Airport Extreme to see if it would replace my current Netgear DG834N (which isn't playing very nicely at all), I stumbled across a few projects that provide something akin to Leopard's Time Machine functionality for Linux.

The first is Flyback, a Google Code project based on rsync. It has a Python GUI interface to administer the backups and is extremely simple on the backend.

The next is TimeVault, an Ubuntu project. It integrates with Nautilus seamlessly to provide easy restore functionality. It works by watching directories for any changes and then keeping a backup copy of the files and directories that have changed. SQLite is used to keep a database of the backups and uses file hashing and an internal directory structure to store the actual file backups. Disk usage is reduced by using hardlinks to files that haven't changed.

All of these solutions lack the whizzy 3D interface that Time Machine provides but at the end of the day it's about the resilience and not the graphics. If you're running Linux, chances are that you don't need a 3D interface for your backup and restores anyway.

Friday, 7 November 2008

Dopplr is a great social-networking based tool for keeping a track of your travel plans.

The idea is that you input your travel details and it will find other people going to the same location (or nearby) at the same time.

If your social network members keep their details up-to-date then you might just find yourself engaged in an impromptu party in a foreign city instead of watching TV in a language you don't understand whilst slowly emptying the mini-bar and your wallet.

Another feature of Dopplr, if you're interested, is the ability to calculate your carbon footprint.

Dopplr even provides webcal links so that you can subscribe to your travel calendar. Using this functionality, Google Calendar and BusySync, the details on from my Dopplr account appear on my iPhone, automagically. Handy!

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Monday, 29 September 2008

We discovered Camber Sands when trying to find a beach near London so we could enjoy the last throws of summer.

Camber Sands is a proper beach with real sand and dunes down on the south coast of Kent. It is about 20 miles east of Hastings.

Whilst we were there we decided to have lunch at a restaurant and B&B called, The Place. The food was really good but the service was atrocious -- it took over 3 hours to have our meals served. When we complained the manager explained that in her 19 years in catering she hadn't had so many complaints and that we didn't have to pay for the food. We decided to pay for half of the meals since only the service was the problem.

By the time we got to the beach the wind had picked up and it was becoming overcast - but Daisy enjoyed the water and was only slightly weirded out by the sand.

We will definitely be visiting Camber Sands when the weather is good again.

Unfortunately we only had regular, white vinegar and normal Bismati rice. Oh well, it can't be that different, can it?

First, "wash" the rice by rinsing it out with cold water several times until the water is clear.

Then cook the rice in a little water (about the same amount as the rice) until it's nearly boiled away, cover and steam for a further 10-15 minutes.

Whilst this is going on, prepare the rice seasoning by measuring out some vinegar (about 25% of the amount of rice) and stirring in the sugar (about 1 tablespoon for every 50ml of vinegar).

Add a little salt.

You can use some heat to help dissolve the sugar. (just don't let it boil)

Once the rice is done, gently mix in the seasoning.

Let the rice cool and you're done!

Nigiri Sushi are the little handmade blocks of rice with a portion of seafood on top. Making it with the substituted ingredients turned out much better than expected and we enjoyed home-made Sushi for lunch.

Of course, next time we'll get the proper Japanese short-grain rice and some proper rice wine vinegar. We'll also pick up some Wasabi paste. ;)

The first week was quite busy and I was in Amsterdam on the second day. (after a slight hiccup with the outbound flight) The people are very friendly and everyone is trusted to get on with the tasks in hand. (another nice change!) Things will be even better when a couple of colleagues I've worked with in the past, join us.

Next week will see me in Amsterdam again and then Copenhagen straight afterwards for a project kick-off meeting. Whilst in Copenhagen we'll be going to the Brondby vs. Juventis football match for a bit of bonding. (I'm hoping the words "corporate box" feature at some point)